Cell-to-cell viral transmission via virological synapses has been argued to reduce susceptibility of the virus population to anti-viral drugs through multiple infection of cells, contributing to low-level viral persistence during therapy. Using a mathematical framework, we examine the role of synaptic transmission in treatment susceptibility. A key factor is the relative probability of individu...

Recent research suggests that vertical transmission may play an important role in sustaining Toxoplasma gondii infection in some species. We report here that congenital transmission occurs at consistently high levels in pedigree Charollais and outbred sheep flocks sampled over a 3-year period. Overall rates of transmission per pregnancy determined by PCR based diagnosis, were consistent over ti...

Influenza transmission efficiency in ferrets is vital for risk-assessment studies. However, the inability to monitor viral infection and transmission dynamics in real time only provides a glimpse into transmissibility. Here we exploit a replication-competent influenza reporter virus to investigate dynamics of infection/transmission in ferrets. Bioluminescent imaging of ferrets infected with A/C...

background and aims: akabane disease causes epidemics of abortions, stillbirths and congenital malformations manifested as arthrogryposis and hydranencephaly or microanencephaly in sheep, goats and cattle. akabane virus replicates in arthropods and is transmitted by either mosquitoes or midges. outbreaks of the akabane virus have been reported from many countries in southeast asia, middle east,...

Congenital Chagas disease, a neglected tropical disease, endemic in Latin America, is associated with premature labor and miscarriage. During vertical transmission the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) crosses the placental barrier. However, the exact mechanism of the placental infection remains unclear. We review the congenital transmission of T. cruzi, particularly the role of possible lo...

background brucellosis is a zoonotic disease involving several organs with different presentations. it is primarily a disease of animals. human infection is usually acquired by close contact with infected animals or consumption of unpasteurized dairy products. the major reservoirs include goat, sheep, swine and cattle. human to human transmission of brucellosis is a rare entity, especially peri...

Background: Blood transfusion plays a great role in public health and the blood safety still has remained a main concern. HBV has been considered as one of the most prevalent blood borne infections. It is estimated that chronic HBV affects 350-400 million people worldwide. Comprehensive knowledge about HBV has high importance in Iran due to high number of blood dependent patients. Material ...

Countries are classified on the basis of endemicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection into high (8% or more), intermediate (27%) or low (less than 2%) incidence countries. The prevalence of chronic HBV infection in India ranges from 2% to 10% as shown by different studies (1, 2, 3). India therefore comes under the intermediate to high endemicity category. HBV infection is predominantly acqui...

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in women of the reproductive age group has been increasing and, with it, vertical transmission of the virus to their infants. It is currently believed that intrauterine transplacental infection of the fetus is the most important mechanism of vertical transmission; thus, a recent focus of investigation has been on the role of the pla...

BACKGROUND The hygiene hypothesis suggests that parasitic infections protect against allergic diseases by modulating the host's immune responses. Experimental studies indicate that this protection depends on the intensity of parasitic infection, but this observation has not been tested in human populations. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the intensity of Schistosoma haematobium...